Congressman Serrano Announces $4.4 million for Starlight Park Storm Resiliency Project

Congressman José E. Serrano announced on Monday that $4.4 million in federal funds would be directed to Starlight Park in the Bronx for shoreline restoration and storm protection. The Interior Department project would “re-naturalize armored waterfront, improve habitat and flood storage, create new wetland, remove contaminated soils, and enhance stormwater management along eleven acres.”

“I am gratified to see a worthy Bronx environmental project receiving substantial federal funding, which will both strengthen our community against future storms and continue the environmental restoration we have carried out over the years,” said Congressman José E. Serrano, who sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees Department of Interior funding.  “We have long argued that our restoration of the Bronx River was more than just a project to reclaim our waterway, but also a project to enhance our community. This project shows that the federal government recognizes that our environmental restoration also protects against storms and flooding.”

The funding came from the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program, which “supports projects that reduce communities’ vulnerability to the growing risks from coastal storms, sea level rise, flooding, erosion and associated threats through strengthening natural ecosystems that also benefit fish and wildlife.”

“I applaud the Department of Interior for being forward-thinking and looking for innovative projects to ensure that the Hurricane Sandy restoration funding that we provided is used to build our communities back safer and better,” said the Congressman. “I’m gratified that they believe that environmental restoration is a key part of the equation.

“The Bronx River restoration has provided so many benefits to our community—both tangible and intangible. This new project will do both as we see the new wetlands and wildlife, and also feel safer with the knowledge that in the event of the next flood or storm, we will be better protected from intense damage.”